Beasts and Angels
by anoblevolunteer
Summary: Jack/Ralph oneshot. Everyone has two sides. Whichever side you act on shapes who you are.


**A/N: This is a oneshot that I wanted to make. It's a bit rushed, but I hope you like it! :)**

Ralph hadn't known what to expect when he got back. Sure, the adults had fussed and asked him to retell his experience over and over, but it couldn't be conveyed fully through words. On that island, a spark had been lit inside the boys' hearts. The beast had been awoken in them, whether they liked it or not.

Naturally, the boys had been bombarded with questions. Some of the little ones broke down into sobs, the weight of the events on the island crushing them. Some refused to speak at all, simply shaking their heads and trying to block everything out as if it had never really happened. Some continued to act as if they were still there.

Jack's savagery was suppressed within the rules, but that didn't stop him from unleashing it every once in a while. Jack had moved away from the school after a few months on account of his parents 'wanting him to start afresh.' But in the few months he was there, his subtle actions made Ralph miserable.

Jack's authority as Chief meant nothing if he didn't have a group of followers. Roger was the first to join. Within a week, Jack had amassed a small army of followers. They didn't do so much. It was just standing there looking intimidating and the petty disruptions in class. But there was also the taunting of Ralph.

There were the notes, the snide comments, the whispers, the looks and the time Roger had pushed him and left him there as he mocked him. Jack hadn't been there that time but Ralph had no doubt he would have joined in.

Ralph had never really been noticed in school, but after the island he certainly gained a lot of attention. But Ralph became reclusive and tended to shy away from social interaction. Jack and his gang didn't help either. Most of the time, he would stand in the corner of the playground or inside the corridor watching everyone silently, trying to shunt out the memories and being wary of Jack and his gang.

It was the last few days of the month in which Jack was to leave. Ralph, as usual, was lurking about the corridor; his head drooped down in an arc. He stared at the grimy, unpolished floor. Hundreds of muddy footprints were plastered over it but scarcely any belonged to Ralph. He spent more time in the corridor because there was more of a chance of teachers walking past. More chance of a few seconds of safety from Jack's remarks.

He felt it from out of nowhere. The pain hit him like the heat of fire. The fist connected with his jaw and sent him tumbling to the ground, his body sprawled out on the dirty floor. As he awkwardly tried to get up, he felt a hot trickle of blood slide down his chin.

_Blood. _

Ralph mumbled a string of words frantically which slowly sped up. His breathing quickened as he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness. Desperately, he tried to stay awake and not succumb to the nightmares. The shadows crept around him, obscuring his vision.

The last thing he remembered was a pair of benign, bright blue eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>5 Years Later<strong>

"Not another meeting." Ralph stood up groggily, running his hand through his tousled hair. His mother continued to make him go to these therapy meetings. Life had got slightly better after Jack had left. When it was found that Roger had punched Ralph, he was expelled. Ralph had made a few friends, but he still retained the element of keeping to himself. He liked his friends, but he also liked to be alone, where no one could bother him. No-one could understand his pain, certainly not his therapist. She thought it was just a phase and he would emerge from it, like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, as if it hadn't happened.

Ralph hailed a taxi and was driven toward his destination. He paid the driver and braced himself for another hour of dull, repetitive questions. He was proven right, yet again. He sat there with a flat, uninterested look in his eyes. Finally, after what seemed more than an hour, the session ended. Ralph was glad to be out of that stuffy room. The therapist seemed to trap him rather than help him. Although she wasn't horrible, she wasn't exactly engaging either.

As he walked along the corridor, his arm brushed against another person. Ralph stammered out an apology.

"I'm sorry-"

He was staring at those blue eyes again.

Ralph couldn't move. He was frozen to the spot, his body arched ever so slightly over Jack's. He waited for Jack to respond, to throw him a cruel remark. However, the response he got scared him even more.

"H-hey Ralph. How are you?'

Ralph, a little surprised, managed to utter an almost coherent sentence.

"I'm...fine, thanks. Yourself?"

_No! Why are you engaging him in conversation? Things will go bad!_

"Yeah, I'm good..."

Jack tugged at his long sleeve and let a few long seconds pass before he asked.

'Do you-you want to come round? To mine? When you're free? I mean I can understand if you don't want to...'

_Is he seriously asking me? _Ralph raised his eyebrow slightly. The words were stuck in his throat. _Come on, just say no and walk away._

"Yeah, sure."

He was right outside the door. Ralph wasn't sure why he was doing this. He told himself he would be facing his fears head on. Now he wasn't so sure.

The door opened on the first ring. Jack looked happy to see him. _Happy._ Ralph was confused. Why was Jack being so nice? He wanted to run after the taxi and go home but his feet betrayed him and before he knew it, Ralph was in the living room with Jack sitting on his couch.

There was an awkward silence in the air and it was a few minutes until Jack spoke. "You probably hate me right now."

Ralph wasn't prepared for such a direct statement. The colour was rising in his cheeks.

Jack continued. "Look, I know I haven't been good to you-"

Ralph interrupted, his voice sounding bitter. "It's not like you tried to kill me or anything..."

"-but I'm sorry. Look, I didn't know Roger had actually pushed you and physically hurt you. I didn't mean for it to escalate that far-"

Ralph snorted. "You killed Simon and Piggy!"

Jack's face was a mixture of emotions. "Look, Simon's passing was all our faults and I didn't know Roger was going to throw that rock-"

"Roger, Roger, Roger! You never take responsibility for your own actions!"

Jack was taken aback. He hadn't expected this. "Look I'm sorry!-"

"How do I know that? Look at this! This is what you did!"

Ralph pulled up his sleeves. On his arms there were faint red lines etched into his skin, the result of a year's worth of harming from the nightmares.

Both of them were standing. Jack had tears in his eyes. A few years ago, Jack would laugh at the idea of himself shedding tears. But now they were leaking free, no longer suppressed by social status. Slowly, Jack pulled up his own sleeve and there were his scars. Physical and emotional scars that were hidden away.

Ralph gasped. He had not thought Jack was haunted by the experience. He imagined Jack to feed off the terror in the memories and relieve the thrill of hunting. But in the end, they were boys. And boys can be terrified of beasts as well as embrace them.

Ralph saw the loneliness in Jack's eyes, the same loneliness he saw when he looked in the mirror. He moved closer towards the other boy and everything around them was shunted out as leaned in a pressed his lips to Jack's.

At first, Jack was startled. He couldn't process what was happening. He could feel Ralph's hand resting on his body. But then, Jack felt radiant and he kissed Ralph back, tugging slightly at his shirt. Ralph's hands crept up into Jack's fiery hair and let it get lost in the curls. Jack did the same, letting his hand ruffle Ralph's golden hair. A strange feeling of warmth erupted inside both of them. The angels had awoken. They were locked together, neither wanted to move away. After what seemed like a few hours, they broke apart. Ralph searched Jack's face for any sign of his past self but there was nothing. The red head was beaming at him. That was the first time Ralph had seen him smile.

Ralph was the first to speak this time. "Hey, I'm sorry for shouting. But listen, you don't need to harm yourself. I can try and help heal you."

Jack sniffed. "You can?"

Ralph grinned mischievously. "In more ways than you know."

* * *

><p>They were both older now. They were men. Jack still had his moments, such as the time the neighbour's dog was found dead and Ralph had to come up with an excuse along the lines of a masked man and a spade. (The spade bit was true, at least.) Jack's temper still flared up every now and then, but it wasn't as severe as before. They shared their memories with each other, which lessened the burden. Jack confessed to Ralph that he had moved school because he didn't want to inflict any more pain on him. Ralph could not say that he forgave Jack fully for his actions, but instead he saw the other side to Jack and helped to nurture and embrace it.<p>

Ralph was lying down. It was morning. The sun flitted through the blinds in the window and awoke him. Ralph woke up with a moan. He scratched his head and proceeded to get out of bed. He was met by Jack grinning at him. Jack crooked his index finger which he raised and touched Ralph's chin. Smiling, he kissed him softly. A small sigh escaped Ralph's lips as he put his arm around Jack's neck and kissed him back.

Jack pulled away, grinning mischievously. "That was for healing me."

If everyone has a beast, then surely everyone has an angel. Choosing which one to listen to can change your life.


End file.
